With the season winding down and the winners of each domestic league either decided or close too, we can look ahead to next years Pot 1:
Assuming Barcelona go on to wrap up La Liga, and it looks like they will, Next Season’s Pot 1 should include: Barcelona, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg, and the winner of Portugal’s Liga which will either be Benfica or Porto.
If Real Madrid wins the Champions League, they will be the 8th and final team in Pot 1. If they do not, the final spot will go to the Dutch Eredivisie Champs PSV Eindhoven.
But enough about next year, lets look at the last leg of the semifinals.
By Lluís from Sabadell (Barcelona), España (LFS_14039) , via Wikimedia CommonsBayern Munich v. Barcelona
I had the privilege to watch every second of the first leg of this tie. It was a delight. I am of the mind that Pep Guardiola is a genius and I was sure he would get a result at his old stomping ground. He was 15 minutes away from dodging a huge bullet – then Lionel Messi happened.
I can only see this game going one way with a 3 goal deficit for the German’s to overcome. Bayern go down fighting. Even if they end up losing by a cricket score:
Pick: Both teams score and over 2.5 goals (-130)
Real Madrid v. Juventus
Who am I to question Carlo Ancelotti. The man is arguably the best manager in the world and has a resume that rivals any other manager out there. But I have to wonder, with Luka Modric injured, why would he play Sergio Ramos as a holding midfielder, particularly when he can call on the likes of the forgotten Sami Khedira.
Instead Ancelotti has chosen to freeze him out of the squad entirely it seems. Perhaps it is because Khedira has been angling for a move out of Madrid for a few transfer windows but his talent is undeniable.
Real are brinking on disaster and have been for a while now. Where as their Spanish rivals Barca have peaked as a cohesive unit and all get along, the Galacticos are a disjointed bunch. Gareth Bale is the main scapegoat, unjustifiably it seems.
Some are blaming it on his inability to speak Spanish while his agent is blaming it on his teammates just not passing it to him enough. Neither of those were an issue when he scored in the Champions League Final or in the Copa Del Rey Final.
They have been playing as a group of individuals for months now, and the Old Lady seem to know they can capitalize on this. Juventus have just welcomed Paul Pogba back at the right time. They’ll need all hands on deck steal one at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Oh and when all an Italian team needs is the draw, they usually get a draw.
Pick: Draw (+300)
Last Matchday’s record: 1-2-1 (-1.3 units)
Overall: 49-46 (+11.7 units)
Next: Chelsea FC Passed On Antoine Griezmann To Sign Mohamed Salah